


Albus Potter and the Worm

by Sar_Kalu



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Author is Legally Obligated to State that They Do Not Support Illegally Downloading Content, Computerisms, Explicit Language, Gen, Minor Violence, Post-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 17:30:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14085993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sar_Kalu/pseuds/Sar_Kalu
Summary: Albus Potter gets sent through a portal to an alternate dimension when a Worm eats him alive through his computer screen and ends up West of Drum-lands where he becomes an Untouchable impossibility.





	Albus Potter and the Worm

The room was tiny for the amount of money to his name, a box like place that was only useful for its four walls and ceiling. The floor was carpeted in an off white, and the walls painted black and decorated in green and silver school flags, each one emblazoned with a black S. Albus Potter was hardly the most esoteric of people, his father, Harry Potter was the most famous person to have ever walked the wizarding world, while his brother, James Potter II was the most talented Quidditch player since his grandfather, James Potter and grand-godfather, Sirius Black. This was probably why Albus was currently sitting in his boxers in front of his computer eating cold pizza and watching reruns of his favourite tv shows online. 

 

His cheap Ikea bed stood behind him, rumpled and unmade since the day he'd changed his sheets three weeks ago. Albus had hated the fame, the glory, the spotlight that wasn't his own; the youngest son of the most influential Lord to be knighted by the Queen (when she'd finally been told about Voldemort and his followers threat; she hadn't been amused), Albus felt that he was hardly worth the title. Even his mother was well known, even if it wasn't always for the best reasons; Ginny Potter was very well known as a truthful, if very forceful interrogative journalist who had originally just written expose's on the latest sport statistics. Now you could barely pick up the paper without seeing his family emblazoned in one or more of the columns. Only Albus was left, the oddball son who had dropped out of the wizarding world to go into computer programming and design, he was actually a very successful businessman. In the Muggle world. Which was the problem, Albus admitted to himself, as no one outside of the muggle world actually cared about what he did, how many records he had broken, how successful he was. How _rich_ he was. 

 

It was this constant disappointed rumbling that had driven Albus from his family's home in Godric's Hollow, England and into New York City, United States of America, half a world away. His only familial contact over here was his only and younger sister, Lily Potter who was the wife of the American wizarding First Minister, and famous in her own right as a successful actor and script writer. It was hard, something his Uncle Ron could attest to, living in the overwhelming shadow of people greater and more successful than you were. And Albus had run from it, run from everything and now here he was, sitting in a run down apartment with more money than god, no recognition and an estranged family who didn't understand his choices.

 

Albus clicked on another link, his mind klicks away and was jolted into wakefulness when the computer started beeping loudly. And obnoxiously. Cursing, Albus ran a diagnostics over the machine and was forced to admit defeat when the system began to melt down and the screen froze. With a flicker, a box appeared on the screen.

 

" _Malware detected._ "

 

Albus let out another oath and half stood, reaching to reboot the computer only to freeze when a strange face appeared on the screen. "What on earth?" 

 

The creature was long and thick, ridged and looked like an inside out tube of pink flesh. It had no eyes and a gaping mouth filled with serrated teeth. It wavered on the screen, flickering slightly.

 

Albus stared at the creature in confusion. What was a sand worm doing on his computer?

 

"Jacky!" Albus shouted loudly, disregarding the current time. "I told you not to fuck with my computer!" 

 

Jackson Halloway was a young laboratory scientist who was also shared Albus' apartment complex. Jacky, as he was better known as, had just newly graduated and was more than willing to share an apartment while he searched for a job that was more likely to pay the requisite amount of money he needed to get started on his doctorate. He also rather enjoyed research strange and bizarre creatures on Albus' computer when Albus was at work, hoping to scare the wizard into a second 'girly' shriek that had escaped Albus' manly mouth on the first day of their acquaintance. But then frogs, a bucket of water and a very slippery slope will make anyone squeal.

 

"Dammit!" Albus cursed, thumping the monitor, cursing again when the flat screen bent on the flexible 'neck' obstructing the view on the screen. "Why won't you work?"

 

"Al, shut the fuck up!" Came a muffled voice from the next room over.

 

Albus barely spared the wall separating his and Jacky's rooms a glance. He turned the monitor and computer off, and cursed once more when he realised that the picture wasn't leaving. 

 

"Why me?" Albus moaned his head thudding onto the desk.

 

It was about now that Albus should have been paying attention, because as his head made contact with the cheap pine board desk, the worm on the computer screen, wriggled. It writhed. It grew. It wriggled again and opened its gaping maw like a giant suction tube and shoved its way from the monitors confines. Snaking and curving above Albus' steadily thumping and cursing head, the Worm seemed to consider its prey. With a twitch, the Worm shot forwards and clamped down upon Albus' head and shoulders, and with a violent thrust, swallowed the young man whole. 

 

Albus screamed as he felt something bite and swallow his head and shoulders, and for a crazy moment, Albus heard the lyrics to the boa constrictor song his Dad used to sing to James and him when they were kids running through his head. 

 

" _I'm being swallowed by a boa constrictor, and I don't like it very much._ " 

 

Albus sang to himself, feeling the Worm's body pulsating around him, feeling glad that his wand, if unusable and unreachable right now, was stuck in the waist band of his boxers. 

 

" _Oh no he swallowed my toe!_ " 

 

Albus shuddered as with a violent pulse, he was completely swallowed and then.. Flung. Screaming once again, the song lyrics followed him down the swirling dark tunnel that seemed to be illuminated with swirling lights. 

 

" _Oh me he swallowed my knee!_ " 

 

The lights were thinning now, and Albus found himself shouting the lyrics with glee, even though there was no sound nor air. The very Universe was staring at him and he was staring right on back. 

 

" _Oh fiddle he's up to my middle!_ " 

 

Time, space and everything between screamed past him and for the first time in his life, Albus actually lamented his decision to skip the sciences. Sure, computers were fulfilling, but this! This was pure unadulterated magic. 

 

" _Oh heck he swallowed my neck._ " 

 

Albus, for the first time in his very short, very wasted life, saw so much, saw so long and understood so well what was out there that he couldn't help it, that even as the song drew to a close. Albus laughed.

 

" _Oh dread, he's up to my....."_

 

 

* * *

 

 

The house had stood abandoned since its last owners had disappeared and left a large police investigation in their wake. Numerous others had come, each thinking the draping ivy, the sad frescoed walls and columns, the dreary nature of the building all created a romantic atmosphere. Even the statues wept, their hands to their eyes, tears running down their faces and wings drooping behind them; as though they grieved for the world. 

 

One room had seen more use in recent years, sparking a third, fourth or fifth investigation, the police by this stage had lost count. Each time someone went there, cars were found hours later, engines still running and picnics barely touched. And always the Angels wept. The Weeping Angels, waiting for the next unlucky soul to arrive. 

 

The First, the eldest Angel was the one to witness the arrival the Untouchable Man. His hair stuck up wildly, like a black birds nest. His eyes were the purest green, unmarked by glasses or age. His body youthful, yet clearly that of a mans. And even better, bewilderedly confused. The First approached the man and reached out to touch him, brimming with joy at the thought of feasting once more, when the Second and Third appeared. The Fourth was still in the basement, still locked into position as he stared forever into a glittering mirror. The Doctor may once have locked them in place, but an inspector had disrupted their circle, releasing them once more to terrorise the world. Free to feast at last. 

 

"Bloody hell." Albus stared, the Angel statue had definitely moved. He drew his wand.

 

The Second grasped the mans shoulder, making him spin around in shock.

 

" _Bombarda_!" 

 

The First stared at the remains of his brother. His brother who had been unable to toss the man into the past. His brother who was the first of their race to die. The First was the eldest, the wisest, and so knew that the man was something knew. He had been around when the Universe had first been born. Borne of chaos and living dust, the Angels had been spun into existence by the fear that the sentient races had felt when faced with the dark and the loneliness of the first hundred years of the Universe's existence. The Third was not so old, not so wise, not so clever, and was very rash in comparison to the First. He made the same mistake as the Second.

 

" _Reducto_!" 

 

Albus turned his wand on the only remaining Angel, knowing, or rather guessing that if two Angel statues had tried to kill him, the third was likely to as well.

 

' _I will not hurt you, Untouchable_.' Albus blinked, the words had drifted into his mind as the Angel stared at him.

 

"What the fuck?!" Albus gaped.

 

' _I do not understand this word. What is 'fuck'?'_ The voice was dry and rather droll, Albus decided.

 

"Uh, well. Fuck is.." How was he supposed to explain this? "A very bad word for a very bad situation." 

 

There you go. As incorruptible as he could manage on short notice.

 

' _I see.'_ The voice, which Albus was certain was actually the Angel, was very dry and dusty. 

 

"So are you the Angel?" Albus asked, figuring it was better to clarify now rather than guess.

 

The Angel, for all that it was stone, gave off the impression that it was vastly amused. 

 

Albus blinked.

 

' _I am. I am the First Angel of the Eldest Coven._ '

 

"You're a coven?" Albus yelped. "Like a vampire coven?" 

 

Albus blinked again.

 

The Angel had somehow changed position once more, it's arms by its side and its face appeared to be genially smiling. If one discounted the fangs. ' _I have never met a Vampire. Coven is the name of my Family; Our true name is unpronounceable to your human tongue. You will learn other languages. I dislike the human tongues, they are very limiting._ '

 

Albus stared. "We'll that's not pushy at all, is it." 

 

' _You will do as I say, because I will teach you. You will then repay me by destroying the Doctor the Last Time Lord.'_

 

"Pardon?" Albus gaped. "The Doctor? Time Lord?" What the _hell_?

 

The Angel smirked. ' _You do not understand?'_

 

"Damn right I don't understand. I'm not a killer either. I'm not killing anyone!"

 

Albus felt particularly put out when ringing laughter echoed through his head.

 

"You cannot make me, if you try I will blast you to bit like your mates!" 

 

The Angel flared its wings as Albus blinked and slammed Albus into a nearby wall.

 

' _I am the First! You will not threaten me!'_

 

Albus extended his wand, blinking from the strain. The Angel flung itself from him and Albus gasped in air desperately.

"Do not try that again!" Albus rasped, pointing his wand at the statue.

 

 _'I will not.'_ The words were dry and disappointed. _'You are Untouchable.'_

 

Whatever that meant, Albus figured it had something to do with the infamous Potter Luck that he had inherited from his father, Harry Potter.

 

"That's good to know." Albus muttered, turning his head to the side.

 

_'Who are you?'_

 

"Oh now you ask me!" Albus growled. "Not much of one for manners are you?"

 

The Angel appeared to be slightly repentant. Albus glared at it.

 

"Albus Severus Potter, Asp to my friends." Albus finally said grudgingly after staring around the dank and dusty room for a while.

 

The Angel inclined its head in several stuttering fits and almost smiled. ' _Asp suites you Untouchable.'_

 

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Albus asked, irritated that the Angel had called him Asp.

 

The Angel paused to gather its thoughts, which were long, dry and dusty, much like its life.

 

_'We are the Lonely Assassins, the Weeping Angels; the first Immortal's of the Universe. Ever watching, never changing I have seen civilisations rise and fall. My Kind feeds on Time Energy; potential time lived, loved and experienced by the sentient races of the Universe.'_

 

"You kill how, though? I mean, if you eat potential time, then surely you must kill somehow." Albus mused, for once caught up in the how's and whys. His Aunt Hermione would be so proud.

 

The Angel smiled again. A twitch of stone lips that occurred between each rapid blink of Albus' eyes. ' _We kill by sending the sentient races backwards in time. Once that would send them into the Chaos time, but now simply results in their living outside of their true time.'_

 

Albus didn't like how disappointed and aggravated the Angel sounded in that dry voice. It truly was a cruel and indifferent being.

 

"So you what, tried doing the same to me?" Albus asked.

 

_'Yes.'_

 

Albus blinked. That was... Unexpectedly short. No justification, no excuse; the Angel was definitely not human, or young. No, it had no need for excuses or justifications, it knew what it was. It was a killer. It hurt people, harmed them, even obliquely. And it felt no remorse or regret for the lives it destroyed or changed. It was a monster, Albus decided. But, thinking about the situation logically, he Albus rather enjoyed a nice thick steak, and the Angel was simply killing what _it_ saw as steak. Who was Albus to deny it?

 

"So what now? What do you want from me?" Albus asked. "Because I'm not helping you kill this Doctor fellow. I don't do death and destruction."

 

The Angel appeared to pout. _'If I cannot feast, then may I-'_

 

"I never said you couldn't eat." Albus said calmly, very aware that he was about to sanction murder. "But I myself will not kill."

 

The Angel seemed to think that over. ' _I understand._ '

 

Agreed, Albus turned on his heels, reminded, quite forcefully that he was still in his boxer shorts, and exited the house, hoping to somehow pass himself off as vaguely normal and without needing to be sectioned. As the Angel tailed the unlikely human male from the house on West of Drum-lands, the faint sound of grinding gears could be heard....

 

 

* * *

 

 

The Doctor lay flat on his back, gasping for breath even though it was technically impossible for Time Lord's to become breathless. The whole respiratory by-pass system very nicely looped around that problem. No, the Doctor simply loved the feeling the oxygen rich air of the Earth's atmosphere gave his already buzzing head. Bouncing to his feet, the Time Lord twitched his bow tie straight, it was a bright blue today, and tugged his tweed jacket on properly. A quick check of his limbs and extraneous parts and the Doctor was bouncing out the doors of the TARDIS only to stop in horror. 

 

He was in the house. The Weeping Angel house. And there were two, very big, piles of stones and dust on the floor. Two Angels had escaped and it would be too much to ask if the other two were still stuck in an unfortunate biological limbo. The words he'd left Sally Sparrow, so long ago now, were still scrawled darkly against the ancient plaster, and the Doctor raced downstairs, flying in leaps and bounds down the stairs towards the basement. He had Angels to check on.

 

The Fourth stared miserably into the mirror that the investor had dropped in shock. It was staring at itself, directly in the eyes and none of its brothers had bothered to help it, too frightened of being trapped in a similar manner. Day in day out, staring at its own, terrified, angry face. A flicker of movement at the corner of the Fourth's eyes had its straining to see what had come now, hope, a strange and foreign emotion for any Angel, flaring behind his stone eyes.

 

"Well at least one of you is still trapped." A familiar drawl said. "But where is the third? And what could kill two Angels?"

 

The Fourth froze, even more than it already was. The Doctor had come.

 

"Well, I'm hardly going to interrupt you, am I?" The Doctor was grinning, that voice, that old/new voice clearly said so.

 

' _Doctor!'_

 

A voice whispered in his mind, a voice filled with hate, with anger and with frustration.

 

"Oh." The Doctor drawled, his voice elongating the sound until it became a sigh. "A telepath."

 

' _See what you have done! Do you see what I have become? Trapped by my own gaze, like a child!'_

 

The Doctor reeled back, the heavy handed telepathic waves clobbering him over the head. Oh yes, there was no choice but to leave the Angel where it was, it was very definitely angry, and the Doctor hardly wanted to be sent back to nineteen-sixty something. Still, the moon landing had been pretty brilliant.

 

"Right!" The Doctor said, decided. "I'll be off, leave you to your staring competition." The Doctor backed away, sliding up the stairs to the first floor.

 

' _Doctor!'_

 

The scream of rage followed him, echoing like a clanging bell inside his head.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The First darted into the graffitied room, and grinned viciously at the sight of the blue box. Oh, to be sure, the door was closed, but the Untouchable could open it for him. Easily; and if not, the First would apply the proper sort of leverage. All men feared to die. Only those who knew that there were worse things than death didn't, but Albus Potter certainly didn't seem to be one of those men. The First knew humanity and its incarnations. Albus Potter was a rich, soft boy-man who hadn't experienced true hardship; it would be far too easy for the hungry immortal being to press hard onto the Untouchable human and force him to do what the First wanted.

 

The painted blue, wooded walls were indented with six panels each, the front held a double door that, from the appearance of the joins, swung inwards, and it had a strange light bulb on its roof. It was an old creation. Wise and slow for all that it dashed and darted around the cosmos constantly in a great hurry. She knew this universe, was intimately connected to time and would never put her Doctor in an untenable siuation unless she could help it. Not that the First Angel knew this, however.

 

The Angel ignored its surroundings as it easily picked the TARDIS up and carried it from the room. Out to where the Untouchable was waiting.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The Doctor was decided.

 

He needed to leave, immediately. Post haste. He had tangled with the Weeping Angels more than enough this regeneration, and he had no desire to do so again. The Doctor skidded to a halt in the room that he had once drawn all over in thick black paint before it was covered up with dated wallpaper. The words 'Duck', 'Sally Sparrow' and 'Love from the Doctor, 1969' were all that was left of the original message. The floor boards were strewn with the wreckage of the two stone statues, and covered in debris from the outside, leaves, twigs and dirt spiralling around the room as though a great wind had torn through it. And there in the middle was the glaringly obvious problem.

 

The TARDIS was gone.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Albus sat on a park bench in the grounds of the old manor house, it was a grand place. Or at least, had been once before misfortune and time had struck down the family who had once owned it. The once uniformly red tiled roof was now broken and cracked, the tiles hanging like broken teeth in a sore, festering mouth. The windows stood still and jaggedly in the early evening light and the trees whispered the secrets the wind told them. It was a very calm place, and had Albus been anyone else, he would have been spooked by the atmosphere. A whirlwind heralded the return of the Angel and Albus stared in surprise at the blue box that appeared with it.

 

"What the hell is that?" Albus asked, too tired to swear properly.

 

The Angel was very obviously satisfied. ' _This is the TARDIS, it is a time machine. A remnant of a lost age. We found it, and hid it, hoping one day to open it.'_

 

Albus frowned. A time machine? Really? What next, a spaceship?

 

"Why do you want to travel in time?" Albus asked in confusion.

 

The Angels ringing laughter echoed in his head. Albus shivered at the malevolence that the Angel couldn't quite hide.

 

"Alright, so I got that wrong. Why do you want to open it?" 

 

' _The TARDIS has a heart of time, if We opened it, we would be able to feast for eternity and never have to kill other sentient beings.'_

 

Albus froze in shock. "What?" He whispered.

 

The Angel smiled with apparent sincerity. ' _You do not like to kill, but perhaps, as a human, you can open the blue box and let Us feed until the end of time. Never killing, never starving.'_

 

Albus frowned. Surely this was too good to be true. It had to be. "No tricks right? You're not lying to me? Twisting the truth?" Albus demanded.

 

The Angel slowly shook its head. _'I would not do so, Untouchable.'_  

 

Not normally, anyway, the Angel thought to itself. He would not, but he had, but the Untouchable, like the rest of his foul race, only heard what he wanted to hear. That the Angel spoke true.

 

"Right, good. Excellent even." Albus sighed, drawing his wand and renewing his warming charms once more. Really, he needed clothes, and ASAP.

 

Standing, Albus picked his way through the stick covered loam and pointed his wand at the TARDIS' door.

 

" _Alohamora!_ " Albus stated firmly. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

" _Alohamora!_ " A voice stated firmly off to the side.

 

The Doctor grinned, he wasn't alone, and he really should warn the person that it was a very bad idea to come into the manor house at West of Drum-lands. A very bad idea. Jogging at a steady pace, the Doctor rounded a weeping willow and froze in shock and horror. A man stood, nearly naked, in front of the TARDIS. He was clearly trying to open it and was becoming more and more frustrated as time went by. His hair was perpetually messy and very dark and his eyes a luminous green that shone even in the half light of evening. He was tall, but not every so, probably standing at five-eleven, and he was also very skinny. But what truly surprised and horrified the Doctor was the Weeping Angel that stood behind the man, one hand extended, its face a mask of glee.

 

"Stop!" The Doctor shouted, not taking his eyes off the Angel. "Right, back away slowly to me, and don't take your eyes off the Angel!"

 

The man frowned. "Who the fuck are you?"

 

Humans, the Doctor groaned, they always wanted to know things at the most inopportune time.

 

"The Doctor." He said as calmly as he was able, moving towards the man at a slow pace, never taking his eyes off the Angel and not staring into the Angels eyes.

 

The mans eyes lit with recognition. "So _you're_ the Doctor."  

 

The Doctor frowned. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" 

 

It was very impolite of him if he'd forgotten someone, not that he could always help it. Sometimes a first meeting was actually a third or fourth. Time: always so wibbly-wobbly. Not that the man sounded like he was actually certain what the Doctor had looked like; perhaps one of his future regenerations had met the man? But surely the other-him would've explained regeneration when they'd met...? Or maybe he was becoming more forgetful in his old age?

 

"No." The man shook his head, apparently unaware of the Doctor's internalised commentary. He still wasn't looking at the Angel. The Doctor would have to blink eventually, and he really didn't want to be sent backwards in time without the TARDIS again. The first time had sucked.

 

"And you are?" The Doctor asked, deciding to be polite. His back was to the TARDIS now, the cool wood firm beneath his shoulder blades.

 

"Albus Potter," Albus introduced himself.

 

"A very literary name." The Doctor grinned broadly, blinking quickly to stop his eyes watering. The Angel leapt forwards, hands outstretched and clawed towards the Doctor. The Doctor _didn't_ yelp in surprise; but, it was a close thing. 

 

"Um, sorry about the First; he really, really hates you for some reason." Albus said, staring at the Angel, finally, with interest. 

 

' _The Doctor trapped us for an age. Left us to stand still and crumbling, vulnerable to the weather and without food!'_

 

The First's voice roared in the Doctor's and Albus' heads, causing both men to cringe.

 

"You would have killed if I didn't!" The Doctor justified his actions. 

 

"It's kind of in their nature, like a shark." Albus said, his voice reasonable.

 

The Doctor glared at the green eyed man, before he yelled in shock as a stone hand wrapped around his throat.

 

"Don't hurt him!" Albus shouted, sending the Angel flying with a well placed spell.

 

The Doctor gasped in deep breath of air, once again, unneeded, but certainly comforting.

 

"Thank you." He breathed, nodding his respect at Albus.

 

Albus shrugged. "The First said he wouldn't kill anymore, not if I helped him."

 

The Doctor frowned in confusion, searching for the Weeping Angel desperately. He found it standing beneath the weeping willow, it's hands covering its eyes and wings drooping behind it.

 

"Helped it do what?" The Doctor asked, getting a very bad feeling about the situation.

 

"Open the blue box. Apparently it's a time machine with a heart of time itself. If I open it, the Angel is able to feast for the whole of eternity." Albus said, he sounded excited and hopeful and the Doctor thought that the man felt he was doing the world a favour. Helping loads of people. The Doctor shivered in dread.

 

"No, no, no!" The Doctor said quickly. "You can't, don't open the TARDIS, don't do anything like that, don't help Angels."

 

Albus took a step back, injured. "Why not? I'm only helping!"

 

"No, no you're not. You open that door and all hell with break loose. The Angel with have enough power to turn off the sun and ravage planets. That's what it wants! It wants you to open the TARDIS, it wants to feed on the planet." The Doctor spoke very quickly and very firmly, trying to keep his eyes on the Angel at the same time. 

 

Albus looked betrayed. "You lied to me!"

 

 _'The Doctor lies! Always he lies. I only told the truth. Open the TARDIS, let me feast, I'm so hungry!'_ The Angels voice was a moan on the wind, filled with dreadful longing and hunger. Albus shivered. 

 

"No! I won't let you!" He shouted, pointing his wand at the Angel, suddenly sure that the Doctor was very much correct in that the Angel only wanted to destroy the whole world.

 

The Doctor couldn't help it, he blinked. And with vengeful glee the Angel leapt forwards once more, arms extended mid flight, and Albus yelled in shock, throwing himself backwards.

 

"How is it doing that?!" He yelled.

 

"The Weeping Angels are quantum locked, the ultimate defence mechanism. Statues when you see them, but if you blink, _when_ you blink, they move." The Doctor shouted, his hearts pounding in his chest.

 

' _You will feed me, Albus Severus Potter, you are not so untouchable that I cannot snap your neck!'_

 

The Angels voice was wrathfully and Albus whimpered in fear. He was not built for high stress situations, that had been James' field of expertise. Albus loved learning, Albus preferred a good book over running for his life; and Albus was now stuck in the most dangerous situation of his very young life. 

 

"Untouchable? What does he mean by that?" The Doctor shouted, grabbing Albus' shoulder, blinking again.

 

The Angel was closer again, its mouth gaping open to show a row of serrated teeth and gleaming eyes.

 

"I don't know!" Albus shouted back, pressing backwards into the Doctor's firm and steady hands.

 

' _Albus Potter is unable to be eaten as We normally would. He is already displaced in time and space; but he is still vulnerable to being killed!'_ The Angel was less than a meter away, its face a mask of true fury and frustration.

 

"What do we do, what do we do!" Albus babbled repeatedly.

 

"What do you mean what do we do?" The Doctor yelped. "We don't blink!"

 

Albus turned to stare at the time lord. "Don't blink? That's all you have for me?! Don't blink?!"

 

Albus felt hysteria rising; he didn't want to die! He had things to do. People to meet. Christ, his brother was being awarded the deputy-head Auror position next year when their father retired and Thaddeus Scrimgeor took over. Albus had sworn to be there, so that his nieces and nephews wouldn't run riot. Not to mention his Mother would be so angry if Albus died without marrying a pretty young witch and giving her grandbabies to poke and prod. 

 

"Don't look at me!" The Doctor shouted. "Look at the Angel!"

 

The Doctor blinked as Albus turned around; the Angel was almost touching them now, its face filled with malicious glee. The Doctor was breathing hard, he felt time closing in and splitting into two finely woven paths and he couldn't see where they were going. Albus was hyperventilating, his mind blank and completely panicked.

 

"If only I knew what had happened to the other two Angels!" The Doctor snarled to himself, berating himself over not trying to figure out what had happened to the two very dusty, dead and resembling-piles-of-ash Angels.

 

"I happened." Albus shouted, an idea striking him like a lightning bolt. He grinned at the Angel, and the First quivered, knowing what would come next.

 

" _BOMBARDA_!!" Albus roared.

 

' _Noooooo_!' The Angels dying scream tore through the Doctor and Albus like a foul wind and the Doctor stared in shock as the Angel spontaneously combusted.

 

"What was that?!" The Doctor demanded, shocked.

 

Albus couldn't help it, he keeled over, flat on his back and laughed long and loud. If this is what danger and excitement it was no wonder that James and his father loved it so much. Albus laughed. The Doctor stared down at the laughing human, and soon found himself grinning madly, understanding the mans gleeful joy over being alive and safe. The Doctor laughed, flopping down next to the green eyed man. 

 

"What did you do?" The Doctor finally asked curiously staring at his latest companion.

 

Albus shook his head. "Magic!" He grinned.

 

The Doctor raised his eye brow in skepticism. "Magic?"

 

"Yeah, it runs in the family." Albus agreed, jumping up and dusting himself off. 

 

"Magic runs in your family?" The Doctor asked again, confused. "How is that possible? Magic doesn't exist! You're human! You shouldn't be able to manipulate matter like you just did."

 

"Manipulate matter?" Albus hummed, his eyes sparkling joyfully. "I'm not sure about that, science never was my strong point, but magic does exist. Wizards just hide from non-magical people. We're rather good at it." 

 

Albus was now able to observe his new friend, the danger having passed. The man was tall, topping Albus by about three inches and wore a tweed jacket with leather patches at his elbows. He wore a cream shirt striped with red and a blue bow tie. His pants were a bit dirty and his feet were shod in leather shoes that seemed to be a bit of a cross between business loafers and pointed toe Italian shoes. Fashion had never been Albus' strong point, but even he was a bit bemused by the hodge-podge the Doctor was dressed in. The mans features were a bit bemused as he stared at Albus, his kind brown eyes shining with amusement beneath his floppy mop of brown hair. 

 

The Doctor stared. "That's, to quote a friend of mine, a bit Harry Potter-ish."

 

"Harry Potter-ish?" Albus asked, his stomach sinking. Was his Dad known to everyone? Even madmen in bow ties?

 

"You know, the book series by J.K Rowling?" The Doctor said, hinting that it was a book or series known by pretty much everyone.

 

Albus shrugged. "No, sorry. The only Harry Potter I know is my Dad." 

 

The Doctor blinked and then grinned. "Your Dad is called Harry Potter? And what, your Mum I suppose is called Ginny too?"

 

"Yeah." Albus nodded, turning his attention to the cause of the whole mess between himself, the Doctor and the Weeping Angel: the TARDIS. "So what, you're a time traveller?" Albus asked curiously running his hands over the tall blue doors and along the outside.

 

"Yep. That's me." The Doctor agreed. "So how did you destroy the Angel? Because no one has been able to do that before." 

 

The Doctor was very curious about the man in front of him. Albus Potter, a very Harry Potter name, and if the man was to be believed, actually a wizard. But the Doctor, in all his thousand plus years, had never actually met a wizard or witch. There were the Carrionites, but they didn't count because it wasn't true witchcraft. Just a different kind of science.

 

"I just cast the _bombarda_ spell. Anyone over fourth year can manage it, mind you, I'm not a very good wizard, so I wasn't sure I could manage it." Albus admitted hesitantly. It was true, magically he was a very strong and gifted wizard, but technically and ably Albus was about as useful as a first year. He had always been more interested in technology and muggles. To his Grandfather, Arthur's delight. 

 

The Doctor blinked, he wondered if this was how his other companions had felt. Doing something extraordinary and then explaining after wards that it mightn't have worked. It wasn't a very flattering image to hold. 

 

"Would you like to see inside?" The Doctor asked, wondering how a wizard would react to the TARDIS; even if he didn't actually believe Albus was a wizard, but that was what he said he was and so the Doctor would allow it until he was able to examine him further. 

 

Albus grinned. "Could I?"

 

The Doctor grinned in response to the boyish expression on Albus' face and stepped up to the TARDIS' door, unlocking it with a twist of the key. No need to be super flashy and click his fingers, he doubted Albus would be impressed anyway. With another broad grin, Albus bounded inside. The Doctor followed and watched Albus freeze.

 

"It's bigger on the inside." The Doctor announced in a very obvious manner.

 

Albus shrugged. "You should see my Dad's tent," he said blandly, unimpressed; and The Doctor pouted. "But this, oh, you are _beautiful_!"

 

Albus ran his hands over the console of the TARDIS and with nimble fingers, flicked switches with care, his green eyes running over the machine with excitement. The Doctor stared at the impossible human who cared little for him but had become beyond excited by the TARDIS. What was it that Martha's sister, Tish Jones, had called him once? A science geek? Watching Albus caress the console with soft hands the Doctor wondered if Tish would call Albus a technology geek? Probably. The Doctor grinned, suddenly realising why the TARDIS had brought him to West of Drum-lands, Albus would be a brilliant companion and friend, and besides, he already owed the man his life. The Doctor bounced over to the grinning green eyed man and grinned back.

 

"So, would you like to travel with me?" The Doctor asked.

 

Albus gaped and then grinned so broadly the Doctor was worried his face might split. "Yes!" 

 

The Doctor laughed and flicked a few switches, still grinning madly. "So when are you from?" 

 

"Huh?" Albus asked, watching the Doctor race around the console madly, flicking switches and punching buttons.

 

"The Angel said you were out of your time, when are you from? And how did you get to West of Drum-lands?"

 

Albus shrugged. "I was born in two thousand and six, and I'm twenty nine now."

 

"So twenty thirty-five, then." The Doctor quickly figured out. He checked his console. "It's twenty sixty-six now!"

 

He stared at the bemused wizard, noting idly that the man was still half-naked, he really should send him to the wardrobe so he could clothe himself.

 

"How did that happen?" The Doctor asked. "You went forward in time, not back."

 

Albus shrugged. "I have no idea. The last thing I remember was getting eaten by a Worm that came out of my computer and then ending up in a room in the house."

 

"Eaten by a worm?" The Doctor reiterated, not having heard the clear capitalisation on 'worm'.

 

"Yep. It had huge serrated teeth and my computer detected it as malware." Albus snorted. "My brother James was always telling me that my obsession with computers would get me killed." Albus shook his head in exasperation at the idea, but then, maybe James' would have the last laugh because Albus wasn't exactly doing too great at the minute. Being that he was half-naked some forty years in the future and talking to a crazy time travelling weirdo.

 

"You were eaten by a computer virus that sent you through time and space?" The Doctor asked, stunned. A Computer Virus that doubled as a Worm Hole? That was so cool! The Doctor had never heard of such a thing before and he thought it was brilliant.

 

"Pretty much." Albus grinned. "Can we go to Diagon Alley? I really need some clothes."

 

"Diagon Alley?" The Doctor breathed, stunned. "You really are obsessed with the Harry Potter books aren't you?" 

 

"Obsessed?" Albus asked confused. 

 

"Albus, if that's even your real name, magic isn't real." The Doctor said, staring deeply into the other mans eyes.

 

Albus jerked back affronted. "Yes it is! Take me to Charing Cross and I'll show you Diagon Alley. It's a brilliant place."

 

The Doctor sighed, knowing that Albus was bound to be disappointed. With a shove of the hand break, the Doctor sent the TARDIS flying through the time vortex, and in less than three minutes was parked on Charing cross road. Albus made for the doors immediately. 

 

"Hey! You can't go out wearing nothing!" The Doctor yelled at the retreating wizard. "You'll freeze!" 

 

"Warming charms, Doctor, I'll be fine." Albus replied loftily. "Although I may garner a few strange looks." He muttered under his breath.

 

Charing Cross was business as usual, insanely busy and bustling with the pre-Christmas rush even though it was early November according to the Doctors scanners. Albus and the Doctor elbowed their way through the crowd, Albus' green eyes searching for the Leaky Cauldron which should be around here somewhere. After nearly an hour of walking up and down the street, Albus was beside himself. Where was it? Surely they hadn't moved it? 

 

Biting his bottom lip nervously, a habit Albus had tried to break but failed in, Albus drew his wand and caste a discrete _point_ _me_ spell. The wand spun on its axis but never settled. The Leaky Cauldron didn't exist. Close to hyperventilating, Albus caste a second spell, this time searching for the Ministry of Magic. The spell failed again. Wide eyed and terrified at being stranded, Albus caste another spell, this time searching for his family and the spell failed once more. Magic didn't exist, his family didn't exist. Albus was stranded and alone on a foreign world.

 

"This can't be right." Albus panted, terror clouding his eyes as he stared at the Doctor who had no idea what he'd just done.

 

"What's wrong?" The Doctor asked, concerned.

 

Albus gulped, fighting down a sense of increasing panic. "My families not here, the Ministry is gone, and so is the Leaky Cauldron! It's like Magic doesn't exist!" 

 

The Doctor frowned, how could the mans family no longer be here?

 

"I searched for anything magical, the dragons, phoenixes, sphinxes, brownies, house elves, wizards, witches; magic doesn't exist!" Albus was hysterical. He was stranded on a world where magic was dead.

 

The Doctor gripped Albus' shoulders. "Albus, calm down, you will find them, maybe the spell malfunctioned. Look, come with me, we'll search them on the TARDIS."

 

Albus nodded and followed the Doctor back to the blue police box and entered feeling as though his whole world was crashing down around his ears. How was a person supposed to deal with being the last of their species? How was he supposed to deal with knowing that his parents and family would think he had mysteriously disappeared or died? And how was he supposed to get back home?

 

The Doctor tugged a piece of hair from Albus' head, ignoring the protesting yelp, and quickly analysed it, raising his brows at the high content of Dark Matter in the mans body, which was probably what allowed him to manipulate the world around him. A quick search of the world had the Doctor acknowledging that, yes, Albus was the only wizard, if that was truly what he was. He certainly wasn't human anymore, there was too much biological change, as though he had been completely warped and changed beyond what he had originally been. Which made sense if he had been shoved through a Worm Hole, otherwise known as the Vortex, but Albus was also soaked in Void stuff. The Doctor stared at Albus in floored amazement.

 

"You've jumped parallels!" He exclaimed.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Albus Potter had a hell of a day, first he had been eaten by a giant worm, then he had run into psychopathic Angel statues who had wanted to eat him, lied to him and tried to con him into destroying the world; and when that hadn't worked out, had wanted to kill him. Then, to cap off his clearly wonderful day, Albus had met a madman who claimed to be an alien, in a blue box who was now claiming he was from a parallel world. 

 

Then to top it all off, the madman in the blue box expected him to understand the string of garbled sentences spoke at a million miles an hour about a really bizarre and improbable set of chances ending in a question that he couldn't answer for the life of him. The TARDIS was quiet as Albus tried to puzzle through everything he had learned and been told only to realise that while he might love technology, science really wasn't his thing. At all.

 

"What?" Albus asked feeling very, very confused.

 

The Doctor had paused for breath expecting the clearly brilliant human to understand the very long and convoluted logical progression of wibbly-wobbly stuff that had occurred in the Worm's stomach. Naturally said humans natural confusion was a big let down for the excitable time lord. The Doctor pouted.

 

"I said, that when the Worm ate you-" the Doctor started again.

 

Albus lunged forward and slapped his hand over the ridiculously talkative aliens mouth. "I got that bit, something the Worm sticking its head through a crack in the Universe and when it ate me something about its enzymes acting up with my magic and sending me through the space and time portal which was actually the same or different crack in the universe and a vague something about the progression of events where you restarted the Universe and my landing in the house is all linked, even if I'm three years out of place in the progression of events. What I want to know is, can I get back home?" 

 

The Doctor gaped behind the restricting hand. Albus really was completely brilliant. Albus released the Doctor cautiously.

 

"No. It's impossible. The Universe has been restarted and the cracks are all closed. Even if I took you back in time, they wouldn't be there." The Doctor replied soberly, knowing that Albus wasn't likely to be pleased with that pronouncement.

 

The Doctor had been correct in his assessment. Albus stared in horror at the time travelling alien and felt all his hopes crumble and wilt beneath the plain onslaught of truth and grave pronouncement. He was alone in the Universe, the last and only of his race. Not only that but he had actually be warped beyond human and wizard and was something new. According to the TARDIS, his blood had been saturated in Vortex and how that would change him was beyond the Doctor's guessing. All the Doctor could say for certain was that it wasn't likely to kill him, something about humans looking into the 'schism' should have killed him immediately except for his magics buffering effect and so had created a completely new and unheard of species. The Doctor was excited, Albus just wanted to go home.

 

"I'm stuck then." Albus sighed.

 

The Doctor nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry, so, so sorry. But yes."

 

Albus stared into the ancient aliens eyes and found a wealth of understanding, empathy, and sympathy as well as guilt and self-blame. Albus looked away, unable to absolve the Doctor in his role as the messenger, intellectually Albus knew it wasn't the Doctor's fault. Potter Luck strikes again.

 

"I'm sorry too, Doctor." Albus sighed heavily once more. 

 

Albus sat on the bed the Doctor had assigned him, as a man without a home the Doctor had offered this in a strange kind of compensation. Albus was still yet to absolve the Doctor of his news, and Albus found himself haunted by his fathers steady words and advice: " _Albus, should bad news ever come knocking at your door, remember that it is never the messengers fault._ ". 

 

The advice had come after Harry had been pulled aside at work one afternoon to be told that Uncle George had suffered a disastrous explosion at work and Harry had hexed the man six-ways to Sunday in his anger and fear. George and Harry had become strangely close after the war years, according to Ginny, with George seeking Harry's advice in managing his grief and anger over his Uncle Fred's death. And now here he sat in the small sandbox sized room sulking because the Doctor had been the unfortunate messenger in bad news. 

 

Albus sighed heavily and stood, three days had passed and he was still yet to leave the room, instead in a bout of self-pity, Albus had slept and stared at the slowly enclosing walls. The Doctor never mentioned his behaviour, instead the time lord had brought him food and water at regular initials, even though Albus never ate anything. Sighing once more, Albus exited the room, his footsteps hesitant as he crept along the passageway, green eyes and thin body halting at the sight of the Doctor slowly spinning around the console, his expression of of pure guilt and sadness as he communed silently with the TARDIS. Albus wondered just what had happened for the alien to become so sad. 

 

"I'm sorry." Albus spoke finally, unable to take the torture silence the time lord was wallowing in, drowning beneath the weight of his experiences.

 

The Doctor spun around, his expression startled. "Sorry?" He asked.

 

Albus nodded quietly, padding over to the Doctor and standing in front of him. "My Dad always said that you should never shoot the messenger of bad news, its not their fault. It was childish and immature of me. Forgive me, if you can?" 

 

The Doctor's grin was blinding and he enveloped Albus in a warm hug and Albus melted into it. His fathers hugs had been like this as a child, warm and affectionate, Harry too, had never judged Albus' choices, never remanded his action, simply expecting him to learn from them. Harry may not have liked Albus' decision to leave England and his family for America and his computer work, but Harry had understood his need and desire for making his own mark on the world and had this supported him. And in the Doctor's hug could Albus feel the ghost of his father reaching out and absolving him of his pain and anger, his fear and betrayal, his sadness and loneliness. Because the Doctor understood, he knew what it was like and in a single blinding moment, Albus found peace for the first time in three days. Albus wept.

 

The Doctor understood Albus, understood his pain, after all, he had been through it too, and so when Albus cried, clinging to his jacket with desperate hands, the Doctor just held him and stroked his back. It had been so long since he had held another person like this, hugs he received regularly, but this hug, this was like a father holding his son, something he hadn't done since Jenny as she lay dying. The Doctor felt his own tears fall and smiled sadly, maybe he needed Albus as much as the young wizard needed him, and maybe he could help Albus as Martha and Donna had helped him all those years ago. Albus pulled away, drying his eyes on the palms of his hands and trying to ignore his runny nose as he avoided the Doctors eyes.

 

"Feeling better?" The Doctor asked, his voice gentle.

 

Albus nodded, flushing with embarrassment and ducked his head.

 

"Albus" the Doctor said grabbing the young mans chin and tilting his head back. "Don't be embarrassed." 

 

Albus stared at the Doctor and noted the time lord's own eyes were damp and felt marginally better. "Thanks." He muttered.

 

The Doctor smiled. "Right!" He said and clapped his hands and stood from where they had sank to their knees. "You need clothes!"

 

Albus flushed. Clothes and a shower. Three days in the same boxers he had arrived in, he probably stank.

 

"The wardrobe is down the hall, third exit on the right." The Doctor said cheerfully, and Albus smiled, nothing kept the bubbly time lord down for long, it was comforting. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Albus stared in awe around the TARDIS' wardrobe, spinning on his heels. A tall spiralling staircase climbed up three floors and rows and rails upon rows and rails of clothing lined the walls. Sorted by period, Albus was drawn immediately to the nineteenth century section and smiled in delight as he found the traditional robes from home there. He picked out a white shirt that would probably suite a pirate, and a long black robe with wide sleeves worked with silver runes that, Albus stared, spelled out 'laughter', 'pride', and 'family' along the cuffs and down the neck line. The runes were the Potter family motto, and Albus found himself grinning brightly. He also picked out a pair of pirate boots that looked like they might fit him easily enough and then bounded up to the twenty-first century section and grabbed a pair of black jeans; breeches were all very well and good, but he hardly enjoyed wearing them, and a black waistcoat. Thirty minutes later found Albus dressed in his dashing new clothes and standing triumphantly in front of the Doctor with his arms spread as he spun around showing off his outfit.

 

"Very Harry Potter-ish." The Doctor commended cheerfully.

 

"Nah, Dad hates wearing formal robes, he prefers a good muggle style suit," Albus replied unthinking.

 

The Doctor blinked in surprise and then laughed, realising something. "So, you're telling me, that in a parallel Universe Harry Potter is real?" 

 

Albus grinned and nodded. "Yep." He agreed. "Try it from my point of view, I know nothing of science and aliens and here I am in an impossible machine with one."

 

The Doctor grinned in delight. "Very true!" 

 

Albus grinned back at the Doctor and then bounced up to the console, a wicked smirk on his face. "So, now I'm decent, well, mostly, and dressed all neatly, where to now? I mean, this is a _time_ _machine_! I bet it can go anywhen and, logically, as time travel is harder, this must also be a space ship, and so can go any _where_ too!"

 

The Doctor grinned. "Very poetic, I could talk about anywhere and anywhen all day long, I love humans!" 

 

Albus rolled his eyes in good humour, but flushed with pleasure all the same. It was cool to think that the Doctor, a thousand year old alien thought so highly of him. Albus was fully aware of just how much he owed the older man. 

 

"But yes, you're right. TARDIS stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space." The Doctor agreed, a bit more serious. "So, where would you like to go?"

 

Albus thought about it, where/when would he like to go? Completely stumped for choice, Albus suddenly grinned a challenge at his new friend. 

 

"Surprise me!" Albus said and the Doctor grinned manically.

 

A thump on the TARDIS' console and the machine was set to a random destination.

 

"Hold on tight, Albus Potter!" The Doctor yelled excitedly. " _Geronimo_!"

 

Albus' laugh rolled loud and long as he clung to the heaving controls, his shining eyes meeting the Doctor's own, the two friends off to their next Great Adventure.

 


End file.
